Universal
by Bad Wolf and Timelords
Summary: After the fall of Angels, Sophie Doyle, the Winchester's life long friend and companion, decides that in the midst of the calm before the storm, she and the boys should take some time off to return to some old, and almost long forgotten roots.
1. Chapter 1

**2013, After the Fall of Angels**

"Oh cummon, Dean! It'll be fun!"

"Yeah, if you're six."

"Which I am mentally. Don't be a sour puss."

"I'm not! I just think it's a waste of money."

Sam smirked to himself as he stood off to the side of his brother and best friend argue over the white noise of the passing crowds and the rushing water below them. He had been surprised that his brother had never noticed, or at the very least, ask about what Sophie had been up to over the last year. For months he had known that she was hiding away whatever money she got from hustling in bars and wherever else she could. So when he had finally asked what she was doing, the response both surprised and touched him. Despite knowing that Dean would never agree to go if he was told directly what was planned, Sam helped her regardless, pitching in there he could and help plan how they could pull this day off.

"It won't be, I swear! I've been saving for months, Dean!" Sophie Doyle promised, looking up at him pleadingly. "Even Sam was in on it!"

When this was said, Dean looked towards the taller man. "Seriously?" Was all he exclaimed in disbelief.

Putting his hands in his pockets, Sam shrugged. "Sophie said we deserved a break after everything we've been through, and let's face it. She's right. We need a bit of time to ourselves to cool off."

Smiling triumphantly, Sophie turned back to Dean. "See?"

"We don't have time to relax, Metadouche has taken over heaven and dumped all the Angels on to Earth, and Abaddon is still out there!" Dean continued to argue. "Besides, even if we did, why come all the way to Munchkin land?"

Rolling her eyes, she glanced at the rotating globe across the manmade canal from them before looking back to him. "It's Universal, Dean, not Disney World. There's stuff here for us to do too."

"Yeah, whatever." He looked away unimpressed.

Watching him in disappointment, Sophie swallowed the lump growing her throat and blinked back the tears before turning to Sam and reaching into her bag to grab a large sum of bills and handed to him. "Sam, could you go seeing about getting us tickets into the Studio Park and the express passes?" She asked him tiredly.

"Uhh... Sure." He agreed, taking the money from her and walking away, glancing back to them on occasion as he crossed the large and busy bridge towards the park gate.

Together they watched Sam walk away before Dean turned back to her unamused. "Okay, what's this really about?" He asked.

Tilting her head to the side, she blinked. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said.

"That's a load of crap." Dean was quick to call. "You've been acting weird for weeks and it turns out, you've been planning this. Why are we here, Soph?"

Looking away, Sophie was silent for a moment before huffing, sending strands of blonde hair floating outwards. "Because I'm tired. All we ever do is work, work, work. I just want to have fun for once."

"Hey! We have fun all the time!" He protested.

"I mean something besides hustling and getting drunk in a cheap ass bar, Dean." Her words sounded as though she was whining, but her voice was strong.

"Well if you wanted to have fun for big bucks we could have gone to Vegas." Dean supplied with a smirk.

Sighing in agitation, Sophie bowed her head and buried it in her hands. After a moment she straightened up and looked him in the eye. "No. No drinking, no gambling, no scantily clad women-" As soon as she said this a woman in extremely short shorts and a thin, low cut shirt walked past them. Noticing Dean's eyes start to follow the woman, Sophie snapped her fingers in front of his face to recapture his attention. "Dean!"

Blinking, he shook his head and scowled. "Okay, I get it. You want to do something different for fun. But why here?" Instantly her cheeks turned pink while her grey eyes turned away, surprising him. "What?" He asked, leaning down and to the left to try and get a better look at her face. "What is it?"

"Please, can we just go?" She mumbled, turning to walk away. She was stopped however as he grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"Soph, cummon." Dean said softly, moving to stand closer in front of her as he moved his hand from her arm to gently grasp her shoulders. "There's something you're not telling me, and something's obviously wrong. What is it?"

Looking down at their worn and dirty boots, Sophie twisted her foot slightly as she spoke. "Remember… when we were little… gosh, at least four years old... it was just a couple of days before the fire... and our parents took us to the fair."

Images flashed through his mind like rapid fire as he remembered the day she was talking about. Two days before the fire, the Winchesters and their close friends, who were also their neighbours, the Doyles, had gone to a fair that had been set up on the outskirts of town for Halloween. It had been the last fleeting moments of happiness Dean and Sophie had before suffering great losses. Tearing up slightly as he came back to the present, he nodded. "Yeah," He smiled and chuckled a little as the image of a small blonde haired girl run hand in hand with his four year old self to a carousel. "Yeah, I do. But what does that have to do with anything?"

"That was the really the last time we got to be kids, well, except for whenever we stayed with Bobby." At this point her bottom lip began to quiver as tears formed in her eyes. "It was the last time we got to have childish fun, be a family… a-and, after everything that's happened the last couple of years, hell our whole lives, and with what's coming up, I just need a break. Something old and familiar. So while there's the calm before the storm, I'm going to damn well take advantage of it and act like a kid before it's too late. "

Guilt started to wash through him as he absorbed her words, because he knew she was right. For while they had all gone through hardships growing up together, Sophie had gone through the most; and after John had learned the truth of what was out there, she was right. Their childhood was essentially over.

Looking her up and down, Dean began to nod. Out of the three of them, Sophie had always been the softest one, but she was always the one to be there for him and Sam, doing things for him and never asking for anything in return. If she wanted a chance to let loose and be like a kid again, to be happy for even a moment, who was he to be in her way?

"Okay." He said quietly, taking her hand in his, lacing their fingers together as they had always done from a young age. It had never meant more than comfort and a reassurance, but as he did this now, she looked up at him in wide eyed surprise before giving him a wide eyed smile and jumping up to wrap her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Dean laughed as she jumped onto him and wrapped his arms around her waist in response.

"Thank you." She whispered into his neck, her feet dangling six inches above the ground. When she was finally placed back on the ground she giggled as she grabbed him by the hand and started dragging him behind her as she bounded towards the park gate. "Cummon! You're really going to love it! There's tons for us to do!"

Breaking out into a smile, Dean laughed and quickened his pace to keep up with her. "There better be!" He warned her teasingly.

Sophie glanced up at him with a wide smile and squeezed his hand quickly. "Don't worry, there will be!" She promised as they flowed with the crowd over the bridge.

As they made their way to the Universal Studio park gate, Sam waves from where he stood off to the side, catching their attention and making them walk to him. "Hey, we all set?" Sam asked, looking between the two friends.

"Yeah sure, let's go." Dean shrugged, trying to conceal his excitement from his brother while subtly tightening his hold on Sophie's hand.

At his brother's easy response, Sam stared at Dean in shock. "Really?" Was all he could muster.

Rocking back and forth on her feet, Sophie nodded enthusiastically. "Yup!" She popped her P. "Got the passes?"

"Uhh, yeah." Sam searched his pockets to pull out the small passes and hand them each their passes. "So, now what?"

Grinning even wider, Sophie reached forward to link her arm around Sam's, having the oldest Winchester on her right and the youngest to her left. "We have fun, that's what."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Give me ideas as to what attractions you want to see these guys go to, and I'll see what I come up with. Everything and anything helps!**_


	2. An important note at this time

I don't normally like it when authors post what we believe is a new chapter but it just a note from the author, but in this time of crisis within the Supernatural family fandom, I believe this is called for. From anyone who doesn't know what's going on, from my understanding someone or some people are going online and targeting members of the Supernatural fandom who have expressed personal sorrows such as depression and suicidal thoughts, driving them to personally harm themselves to the point of hospitalization. I don't know all the facts, but this is the main points of what I've heard. And true to our title as the Supernatural family, fans and actors from the show alike have been crying out in protest and reaching out to each other.

So here, I reach out to my readers.

Some of you may roll your eyes, some of you may not, but hear this. I might just be another fanfiction author, but if you need to talk to someone about _**anything**_, I will listen and talk to you. Just know that you are loved, that you are important, and most importantly, that you are _**not**_ alone. I know what it feels like; to feel lost and alone; as though you've been shoved to the darkest corner of your mind, kicking and screaming where no one can hear you. And obviously, bad things will never stop coming, no matter what scale, but that's life, and we'll always find something to keep living for. I know what it feels like, so please, if you feel the need to put it out in the air, _**I will listen**_, and I know many others will too.

We are the Supernatural family for a reason, because if this crazy little show taught us anything at all, it's that _**family don't end in blood**_.

Love:

Bad Wolf and Timelords

(And so you know, when I am ready to post the new chapter, I will remove this note so as not to disrupt the flow of the story. Although even after that, my offer still stands.)


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